Folding umbrella.



I. H. LONG.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

APPLICATION FILED DBO. s. 1912.

1,071,762, Patented Sept..2, 19-13.

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I. H. LONG.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

APPLICATION FILED D110. 5, 1912,

1,071,762. Patented Sept. 2, 1913.

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IRA H. LONG, 01? PERU, INDIANA.

FOLDING UMBRELLA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 2, 1913..

Application filed December 5, 1912. Serial No. 735,131.

To add who m, it may concern lie it known that I, Inn ll. LONG, acitizen of the United States, residing at Peru, in the county of Miamiand State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful I1nprovementsin Folding Umbrellas; and I do declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to improvements in folding umbrellas.

One object of the invention is to provide a folding umbrella having animproved construction and arrangement of telescoping ribs.

Another object is to provide a folding umbrella which will be simple,strong, durable and inexpensive in construction, reliable in use andwhich may be quickly and easily folded and unfolded.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement ofparts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accon'ipanying drawings: Figure 1 is a central vertical sectionof my umbrella with the parts arranged in position and opened for use;Fig. 2 is a side view partly in section showing the position of theparts when the umbrella is closed; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing theposition of the parts when the umbrella is closed and folded and thesections of the handle disconnected; Fig. l is an enlargedlongiti'ldinal sectional view through the outer end of one of the innermembers of the ribs and the adjacent end of one of the bracesillustrating the outer member of the rib in a projected or operativeposition; Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view through the upper portion ofthe umbrella stall or handle taken on the line o1"? Fig. l and lookingupwardly; Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on the line (5-6 oi Fig. 1looking downwardly; Fig. 7 is a similar view taken on the line 77 ofFig. 1; Fig. 8 is a detail perspective view of one of the braces; Fig. 9is a top plan of one of the inner tubular members of the ribs showingmore particularly the manner in which the guide slot for the locking lugof the outer member of the rib is constructed; Fig. 10 is a detailperspective view of one of the outer members of the ribs.

In the embodiment of the invention I provide a collapsible rod or stall"comprising an outer tubular section 1, an intermediate tubular section 2and an inner section or handle The outer tubular section 'l at thesta'lt' is threaded interiorly in its outer and inner ends, while theintermediate section 2 has on its inner end a reduced exterior-1ythreaded stud 4; which is adapted to be screwed into the threaded innerend of the outer section 1. The section 2 has its outer end interiorlythreaded and into said threaded end of the section 2 is adapted to bescrewed a reduced threaded stud 5 on the inner end of the handle section3 oil the stall. By constructing the stall and handle in the mannerdescribed it will be seen that the sections thereof may be readilydisconnected and collapsed when the umbrella is folded, and readilyassembled when the rum brella is extended and opened for use.

In the threaded outer end of the outer section 1 of the stall is secureda tip or point (3 having a reduced threaded shank 7 which is adapted tobe screwed into the threaded outer end of the section 1. On the shank 7oil the tip is secured a clamping ring 8 whereby the inner edges oi. thecovering 9 of the umbrella secured to the tip between the ring and theenlarged inner end of the tip as clearly shown in Fig. l of the drawing.The handle section 3 oil the statl' may he provided with any :lorm ofhead or constructed in any desired shape.

The outer end of the tubular outer scclion 1 oi the handle carries thenotch which consists of an annular series of radially projecting cars orlugs ll) to which are pivotally and detachably connected the inner endsof the ribs of the umbrella. The lugs 10 are preferably termed byslitting the end of the section 1 inwardly tor a suitable distance andthen bending the slitted parts of the metal outwardly at substantiallyright angles to the stall. The ends of the lugs when thus formed arebent or turned inwardly to form eyes 1.1 adapted to receive a ribtlastening wire l2 which is inserted therethrough and through the innerends of the ribs as will be hereinafter more fully described.

The ribs of the llllllllellll. comprise inner tubular members 13 on theouter ends of which are formed pairs of a pertured ears 1 .1: betweenwhich are engaged the eyes 11 on the ends of the lugs 10 of the notchand with which is engaged the :t'astening wire 12 whereby said innermembers of the ribs are detachably secured to the staff. In the uppersides of the members 13 are formed longitudinal slots 15 which graduallydecrease in width from the outer toward the inner ends of the membersand which open through said outer ends as shown. At or near the innerend of each of the members 13 and communicating with the narrow end ofthe slot 15 is an offset rectangular notch 16 the combined width ofwhich and the width of the adjacent end of the slot is substantially thesame as the width of the wider outer portion of the slot as is clearlyshown in Fig. 9 of the drawings. of the inner ends of the members 13 areformed transverse brace receiving eyes or loops 17, said eyes or loopsbeing preferably formed from a reduced extension of the inner end of themembers 13 as shown.

Slidably mounted in the inner members- 13 of the ribs are outer ribmembers 18 each 7 of which preferably comprises an enlarged. cylindricalhead or inner end 19 which is of 1 19 of the outer rib members at theouter ends of said heads are formed outwardly projecting guiding andlocking lugs 22 which correspond in width to the wider part of the slots15 in the inner members of the ribs and with which said lugs areslidably engaged. The outer ends of the lugs are preferably providedwith oifset heads 23 which engage the outer surface of the rib members18 adjacent to one side of the slots 15 therein. By providing the lugs22 it will be seen that when the outer members of the ribs are drawnoutwardly to operative posi tions in the tubular inner members of theribs the lugs 22 will gradually spring apart the edges of the slottedportion of the members 13 or in other words will open said slots to thewidth of the lugs until the latter are brought opposite to the notches16 at the outer ends of the slots whereupon the edges of the slottedportion of the rib members will again spring together and engage thenotches 16 with said lugs, thus locking the outer members of the ribs 18in their projected or operative positions. When it is desired to againretract the outer rib members or to push the same back into the innermembers it is simply necessary to grasp the outer ends of said outer ribmembers and to turn or twist the same slightly, thus causing the lugs 22to spring the edges of the slots On the lower side apart to a sufficientextent to disengage the lugs from the notches 16 whereupon the outersections 18 of the ribs may be pushed back into the tubular innermembers as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Slidably mounted on the outer section 1 of the staff is a runner ashaving secured to its outer side a spring catch 25 on the inner end ofwhich is an inwardly projecting stud 2s. The stud 26 works through anaperture 2? in one side of the runner and is adapted to spring intoengagement with inner and outer locking apertures 28 and 29 in the outersection 1 of the stafr whereby the run ner is locked in position forholding the ribs of the umbrella in an operative and in an inoperativeor folded position. On the outer end of the runner are formed a seriesof brace attaching eyes 30 said eyes being preferably formed byslittingthe inner end of the runner for a suitable distance and bendingor turninothe slitted portions of the metal outwardly as shown. With theeyes 30 is engaged a brace fastening wire 31 by means of which the innerends of the braces 82 of the umbrella are detachably and pivotallysecured to the runner.

The braces 32 are preferably formed from narrow strips of sheet metalwhich are bent or folded longitudinally and flattened or pressedtogether at the inner portion of the braces. The inner end of the foldedpart of the brace is slitted inwardly for a suitable distance along thefold to form attaching lugs 33 which are bent outwardly and spaced apartto the width of the eyes 30 on the end of the runner and with which saidlugs 33 are engaged. In the ends of the lugs 33 are formed alinedapertures 34; with which the fastening wire 31 of the braces is engagedwhen passed through the eyes 30 thereby pivotally securing the innerends of the braces to the runner. Secured to the outer ends of thebraces are outer attaching loops 85 which are preferably formed of wireand have their inner ends clenched and rigidly secured between thefolded outer ends of the braces. The loops 35 are adapted to be engagedwith the eyes 17 formed on the inner sides of the inner ends of themembers 13 of the ribs whereby said braces are pivotally or looselyconnected at their outer ends with the ribs to support the latter in anopen or operative position.

By constructing an umbrella in accordance with my invention it will beseen that in order to fold or collapse the same it is simply necessaryto lift the inner end of the v 7 the latch with the outer lockingaperture 29 in the staff section 1. In thus moving the runner outwardlythe inner ends of the braces are also carried outwardly therebypermitting the ribs to be closed or folded inwardly against the staff.After the umbrella has thus been closed the lugs 22 on the inner ends ofthe outer members of the ribs are disengaged from the notches 16 in theinner members in the manner described and said outer members of the ribspushed back into the tubular inner members, thus reducing the ribs tohalf their full length. After these parts of the umbrella have been thusfolded and collapsed the outer and intermediate sections of the staffare disconnected and detached from the outer member or section 1 whichas will be seen is of substantially the length of the collapsible ortelescoped ribs so that the entire umbrella is now reduced or shortenedto a length corresponding substantially with the length of the innermembers of the ribs. If desired the length of the folded umbrella may befurther shortened by disengaging the tip (3 from the outer end of thestaff. It will be noted that the construction and arrangement of thevarious folding or telescoping parts of the umbrella is such that theseparts may be readily released and moved to inope'ative and operativepositions when desired.

From the foregoing description taken in connection With the accompanyingdrawings, the construction and operation of the invention will bereadily understood with out requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim is:

1. In a folding umbrella, the combination with a collapsible stait'having a notch, a runner, and the braces pivotally connected at theirinner ends with said runner; of telescopic ribs each composed of atubular inner member and an outer member, the fori'ner pivoted at itsinner end to said notch and at its outer end to one of said braces andhaving a longitudinal slot in its wall tapering toward its outer end,and the outer member having a head movably mounted in said inner memberand provided with a lug projecting through said slot.

2. A telescopic umbrella rib comprising an inner member having asubstantially tubular body with a longitudinal slot growing narrowertoward its outer end and there provided with a notch in one side, and anouter member slidably mounted within said inner member and having alaterally projecting lug of a width to lit the wider portion of saidslot and to spread apart the walls of the same as it is drawn outward.

3. The herein described telescopic umbrella rib comprising an innersubstantially tubular member having a longitudinal slot growing narrowertoward its outer end and there provided with a lateral notch so that thewidth at the outer end of the slot and notch is the same as the width ofthe inner end of the slot; and an outer member having an enlarged androunded head at its inner end slid-ably fitting within said inner memberand provided with a lateral lug of the same width as the inner end ofsaid slot, and a head at the outer end of said lug.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

IRA II. LONG.

Witnesses:

WV. J. HUNT, Com Lone.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). C."

